Almost 17,000 Googlers walked out to protest of sexual misconduct at the company

Google staff walk out in San Francisco.
Katie Canales/Business Insider

Googlers all over the world walked out en masse on Thursday in protest of the company's record on sexual misconduct.

The protest followed a bombshell article in the New York Times that detailed sexual misconduct allegations against senior executives, specifically against Android creator Andy Rubin, though he has denied the claims.

The organisers behind the protest said that nearly 17,000 Google employees took part in the walkout, and they aren't done counting yet.

Thousands of Google staff around the world voiced their discontent on Thursday by leaving their desks at 11 a.m. to protest Google's record of sexual misconduct, in what appeared to the first coordinated global walkout at a major tech firm.

The protest, which organiser Claire Stapleton told journalist Katie Couric was a "grassroots, groundswell movement," took place after staff dismay at a New York Times report which detailed allegations of sexual misconduct levelled at senior executives and apparent protection from Google. One notable figure at the centre of sexual misconduct allegations was Andy Rubin creator of Android, who reportedly received a $90 million exit package. Rubin has denied any misconduct.